Android Community |
- T-Mobile myTouch 4G Gingerbread Update Rolling Out Starting Today
- Staples Offering $100 Off Android Tablets, Snag the Asus Transformer for $299
- Pocket Penguins app packs penguin video into pockets
- Notion Ink promises Adam 2 tablet for December 2011
- BlueDrone RC Nissan GTR is controlled by an Android app
- Android app turns smartphone into wireless viewfinder for Contour+ camcorder
- Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone heads to US in August
- Rumor has HTC providing T-Mobile with 42Mbps HSPA+ smartphones in H2 2011
- Viber VoIP hits Android: Free international calls and SMS [Video]
- Sonos Controller for Android updated: SD install supported
- Motorola TRIUMPH Review [on Virgin Mobile]
- Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Android Tablet Hands-On [VIDEO]
- Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Hands-On [VIDEO]
- T-Mobile Announces Tiered Unlimited Data, as Strange as that Sounds
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE Arriving at Verizon Stores Soon?
- HTC Flyer 3D Tablet Coming Soon? Take A Look At This Photo
- Koi Fish Live Wallpaper, 3D Graphics and Rain Drops Too
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Passes Through FCC with AT&T Bands
- FriendCaster Hits Beta, A Facebook Honeycomb App
- Motorola Dinara Could be Next Motorola Flagship Phone After Droid Bionic
| T-Mobile myTouch 4G Gingerbread Update Rolling Out Starting Today Posted: 20 Jul 2011 11:06 AM PDT We have some good news for all you myTouch 4G users. Today T-Mobile and HTC have finally started rolling out the update for Android 2.3 Gingerbread for your device. The T-Mobile support page mentions that a limited number of test devices will start getting the update today, July 20th, with more users receiving the OTA update in the “coming weeks”.
The odd part here is they mention it rolling out in the coming weeks and “through the end of the year”. Does this mean it will slowly over the next 6 months reach all the customers, as that would be a first. Maybe someone over at T-Mobile just worded this that way but I’m a bit confused as most OTA updates in recent past once officially start rolling out finish within a 2-3 week period. Not only are users getting updated to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but they are also getting an updated Swype keyboard as well as various bug fixes specific to the device. T-Mobile specifically mentions fixes to stability to the display and bluetooth audio streaming, they’ve improved bluetooth pairing also. For now this is still in a trial period or “soak test” but in the next few weeks users should be able to manually pull the update themselves. We have reached out to T-Mobile regarding the “through the end of the year” comment and will update with any further news. [via T-Mobile] )
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| Staples Offering $100 Off Android Tablets, Snag the Asus Transformer for $299 Posted: 20 Jul 2011 09:57 AM PDT Just yesterday we were talking about finding good deals on tablets but this $100 off coupon from Staples puts the rest to shame. Currently Staples is offering $100 off any tablet in-store only. They are excluding a few non Android tablets like the HP TouchPad but those don’t concern us.
One of our loyal readers dropped this little tip in our inbox this morning along with news he bought the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with his coupon. Now this coupon you see above just needs to be printed and brought with you to any retail staples. The deal is in-store only and one per day, but you can always go back tomorrow and get another for the kids or girlfriend. The ASUS Transformer is only $399 at Staples so this can score you that awesome tablet for only $299 making it one sweeeeet deal. Other tablets cost a little more especially if you want the 32GB variants but $100 off sure makes it easier right. For those that still can’t afford to join the Honeycomb tablet party at this time feel free to enter our final Tabletpalooza Giveaway as this is the last week to enter. [via Staples] –Thanks Toby G )
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| Pocket Penguins app packs penguin video into pockets Posted: 20 Jul 2011 07:54 AM PDT My local zoo has a bunch of penguins in one of the exhibits. These are the warmer weather sort of penguins and they are always up to something. My kids like to run back and forth in front of the glass while the penguins chase them on the other side. If you are a fan of penguins, a new app has landed for Android devices that you will like.
The app is called Pocket Penguins and it is on the iPhone too. The app streams live video in real-time for the California Academy of Sciences African penguin exhibit. You can watch the penguins during meal times at 10:30 and 3 for extra excitement. The app streams video all the time for users to enjoy. The app is free to use and download, but the Academy hopes you will donate $5 if you like the app to help fund its operations. The penguin exhibit has a 25,000-gallon aquarium with the water at 50C. The app can access any of the three live webcams in the exhibit. )
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| Notion Ink promises Adam 2 tablet for December 2011 Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:55 AM PDT Can you handle the Notion Ink roller coaster for a second time? Having set the benchmark for Android tablet hype, then run head-first into the practicalities and issues around bringing products to market, Notion Ink has revealed plans to introduce the second-gen Adam 2 tablet in December 2011.
Speaking to Light Reading India, Notion Ink CEO Rohan Shravan confirmed that “this December you should see Adam 2 if everything goes fine” and hinted that a CES 2012 presence was likely. No hardware details have been given, but with the original Adam an early adopter of NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 and Pixel Qi’s sunlight-readable displays, there’s already speculation that the Indian company will pair the Tegra 3 Kal-El chip with one of the new breed of Pixel Qi panels. Follow-up hardware to Adam has always been on the roadmap, and Notion Ink was confident that its customized software would populate a range of tablets. If the Adam saga taught us anything, though, it’s that a solid spec-sheet isn’t necessarily enough to make a convincing, best-selling product. [via Liliputing] )
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| BlueDrone RC Nissan GTR is controlled by an Android app Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:46 AM PDT I see many projects come across KickStarter and I will admit that most of them are rather boring items. I ran across one today that is really cool though. It reminds me of the AR.Drone only this thing is called the BlueDrone and it is a RC car not helicopter. Considering I like the GTR, RC stuff, and Android apps this is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time.
The car uses Bluetooth connection between the Android smartphone and the vehicle for control. It will work with Android 2.1 and higher and the controls are on the touchscreen. The car is powered by three AAA batteries and has a 30-foot range from the smartphone. As cool as the BlueDrone is, it is looking for more money than I have ever seen someone ask for on KickStarter. The project is seeking $200,000 and so far it has raised $2,908 of that amount. It has another 25 days to go so it had better start getting backers fast. The app also allows the user to tilt the phone and use the accelerometer inside to control the car. The car is 8″ x 3.2″ x 2.75″ and weighs a bit more than half a pound. [via Kickstarter] )
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| Android app turns smartphone into wireless viewfinder for Contour+ camcorder Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:01 AM PDT If you are the sort that is into some sort of action sport where you like to record yourself doing things like skateboarding, biking, or racing cars you may have one of the little camcorders that you can wear or mount in weird places. One of these camcorders is called the Contour+. This little camcorder can be mounted just about anywhere thanks to the small size.
The catch with such a little camcorder is that there is no LCD screen so you really can't tell what the camera is recording. An app for the Contour+ camcorder has landed for the Android platform called Contour Connect. The app turns your smartphone into a wireless viewfinder. That means you can use the screen of your smartphone to line up your shot. The app will also show you the remaining battery life in your camcorder and allows you to change the camera settings. The settings that can be adjusted using the app include video mode, video quality, mic, GPS, and lighting. The app is free and is on the Android Market right now. )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone heads to US in August Posted: 20 Jul 2011 05:28 AM PDT In Europe and Asia the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone has been selling by the millions and is one of the better Android smartphones to be on the market over there. I know that many Android fans in the US have been anxiously waiting for the Galaxy S II to hit the market stateside so they can enjoy the awesome too. We now have the rough date on when the smartphone will be available in the US.
According to Samsung’s Shin Jong-kyun, president of the mobile business, the Galaxy S II will hit the US sometime in August. That’s not exactly a firm date, but at least we know now that within the next month or so the smartphone will be available. Samsung offered no indication of what carriers would get the smartphone. I wager it comes to multiple carriers in the US and I would not be surprised to see it get a bunch of different names depending on the carrier [Attain, Function, Within]. The next iPhone isn't too far off so the launch of the S II has to be considering the fact that the next iPhone is due. The Galaxy S II has a big 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display (the brightest in the world), 1.2GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 2GB of ROM, and an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. It runs Android 2.3.3 [or 2.3.4] in the markets it sells in now and presumably will run the same version when it launches in the US. [via Thenextweb] )
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| Rumor has HTC providing T-Mobile with 42Mbps HSPA+ smartphones in H2 2011 Posted: 20 Jul 2011 04:20 AM PDT When it comes to smartphones, many users are always looking for more data speed, more performance, and more battery life. HTC has a bunch of smartphones that run the Android OS that have great performance and data speeds as well. T-Mobile USA has been rolling out faster HSPA+ networks around the country and a rumor has surfaced that claims HTC will be building smartphones in the second half of 2011 that will take advantage of that new data speed.
Sources in the smartphone industry tell DigiTimes that HTC won’t be alone in making smartphones for the new and faster T-Mobile network. According to the sources, Samsung will also be offering smartphones that will work on T-Mobile’s new data network. There are already a number of HSPA+ networks around the world in operation, but access to the networks is only with mobile broadband modems right now. The industry sources also claim that LG Electronics will be making 42Mbps enabled smartphones in the second half of the year as well. Those LG smartphones are not specifically said to be heading to T-Mobile. The sources also claim that the HTC myTouch 4G Slide smartphone will be heading to T-Mobile soon to go along with the HTC Sensation 4G. [via DigiTimes] )
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| Viber VoIP hits Android: Free international calls and SMS [Video] Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:26 AM PDT Free VoIP service Viber has launched its first Android app, allowing Android handset users to take advantage of free international calls and text messages. Already available for iPhone users, Viber differs from most VoIP services in that it doesn’t demand registration; instead, it uses your own phone number.
When installed, Viber searches through your phonebook and identifies which of your friends are also using the app. Calls and messages between you and those people are then routed via your phone’s data connection – either WiFi or 3G – rather than via your carrier. It’s probably best to have an unlimited data plan, however, since VoIP calls over 3G can get use up a lot of data. Obviously, the more people you know using Viber, the more calls and messages you can offload to the service; that seems to be the company’s main growth plan. The app is a free download and there are no adverts. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] )
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| Sonos Controller for Android updated: SD install supported Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:18 AM PDT Sonos has updated its Sonos Controller for Android app, adding in much-requested support for installing the software to your phone or tablet’s SD card. There are also various new native languages supported, including Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Swedish.
Otherwise functionality is much as it was before, which means the ability to remotely control one or multiple Sonos units around the home or office from your phone. Sonos supports either synchronized playback of a single track across all units, or different music playing in each zone. As well as accessing locally-stored content from a PC, Mac or NAS on the home network, it can stream music from thousands of internet radio stations as well as from digital jukebox services like Spotify. Sonos has also unveiled its new, entry-level streaming music speaker, the PLAY:3, priced at $299 (shown above). The Sonos BRIDGE network adapter has seen a price cut to $49. )
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| Motorola TRIUMPH Review [on Virgin Mobile] Posted: 19 Jul 2011 11:18 PM PDT Here’s a Motorola candybar you’re not going to want to miss. This is the first Motorola device to be carried by Virgin Mobile, and the biggest and by far the most impressive Android handset you’re going to be able to purchase off-contract for under $300. Not only that, this device is unlike most Motorola devices in that it’s not running Motorola Motoblur, a user interface that we’ve been told by many of our community members is certainly not their favorite. Instead you’re going to get a Vanilla (aka essentially untouched) look at Android 2.2 FroYo. Is it a winner?
Before we begin, let’s get a tiny bit of hands-on time in a couple of videos. First there’s an unboxing of this device as performed by yours truly just a few days ago. Here you’ll see the actual unit we’re working with for the review actually coming out of the box it actually came in. Then you’re invited to take another look at the device as it existed several weeks ago when we were introduced to it at a Motorola event in NYC: Now on to the review! Enjoy this slab of Motorola excellence. Hardware
This device is what you’d get if you had a Motorola DROID and took all the hard plastic and sharp edges, replacing them instead with soft plastic and slightly more rounded corners. It’s extremely simple in its form and makes no qualms about being a relatively thin box with a big screen. The display is a 4.1-inch 800×400 pixel resolution WVGA touchscreen that looks generously bright and sharp – it’s no Super AMOLED, but it’s certainly ready to beat out every mid-range device display we’ve ever seen.
When I first got my hands on this device, I looked at it and thought – what is is? There’s gotta be something special about this device, it’s not the best! It doesn’t have the biggest display, the processor is only a single core 1GHz Snapdragon, even the cameras are less than the best at VGA on the front and 5-megapixels on the back. Was it the HDMI port? No, though that certainly was a plus. Was it the Virgin Mobile Live 2.0 app that allows you access to its Virgin Mobile branded music stream as outlined in our original announcement release? I say thee nay! Each of these items certainly makes the phone what it is, but what the phone represents is much more than its physical form.
Instead, what you’re looking at here is the best little Android top-tier device to be offered off-contract for under $300 in the USA and Canada today, hands down. This device is weighs in at 143g (5.04 ounces), and its dimensions are 4.8" x 2.5" x 0.4", it being neither a very larger nor a very small phone, and with a standard set of Android menu buttons at the bottom of the portrait screen, Motorola at the top, a notification light inside the speaker grill above that, some more speakers for entertainment and speakerphone down at the bottom at the left and right sides (unique!) and a great feel in the hand.
This device is rough and tough, won’t need a case unless you’re the sort of person who bashes their phone in the door regularly, and has a really nice color to it – just so long as you like black. The speakers, again, are excellent. I’m always complaining about how the speakers on a device such as this should, without a doubt, not be pointing BACKWARD as most of these handsets are prone to have happening. This device takes them half way to the correct location planting them on the sides of the device. Yes I realize the speaker grilles are not actually the speakers themselves, but they certainly look and feel like they’re nearly, not quite, but nearly in the perfect location for some screen-up, back-down, awesome tunes action.
Again there’s a notification light behind the top speaker grille, the power button is on the upper left-hand side of the device while the volume up/down is on the opposite side – strange and welcome locations, and you’ve got both your microUSB and HDMI plugs at the bottom of the device, right where they should be. Inside you’ve got that single-core 1GHz Snapdragon and it’s crackin.
Software and PerformanceInside the device you’ve got a full Google experience, with all your regular 20 or 30 Google-required apps sitting right where you expect them, the Android Market in place right beside them. Then there’s some Virgin Mobile apps that’ll connect you to your Virgin Mobile account in various ways, a Virgin Mobile Live, an app with some sweet official Virgin Mobile music and sounds, and a few apps like WHERE, SCVNGR, Poynt, and a shortcut to the airG Chat webpage – each of these apps or shortcuts are essentially invisible to your everyday Android user, and upon tapping them if you’re a user new to smartphones, you’ll find them relatively difficult to get into, as they’re all more advanced applications for those willing to put forth some extra effort to participate.
These apps and the set of only a few portals to Virgin Mobile environments are the only additions Virgin Mobile seems to have added to a very basic Android experience. You’ll open this device up and find Vanilla Android 2.2 FroYo staring you right in the face. Imagine our surprise when we realized the simplicity of the truth. There is no spoon – or should I say, there really isn’t any UI spam. This system runs on a 1GHz processor which, if you’re used to a dual-core now that they’ve been out for a few months, might seem a little sluggish to you. However, because you’re on a nude version of Android, the sluggishness you’re feeling is only because you’ve been cruising so very hard with that next-gen device. In reality this little ditty is going just as fast as you please with basically any app or piece of media you please.
Again you’re not going to be beating all your friends like Simms22 at any benchmark battles, but you’re no small customer with this device either. Have a look at some general results we got with several updated tests:
Get a bit more information on Vellamo and why it’s awesome right here. Camera
The back-facing camera is a VGA-grade photo and video camera, and isn’t worth using unless you’ve got some plans to enter into some video chat. Beyond that you’ll probably never use it ever. The back-facing camera is a 5-megapixel photo and 720p HD video shooter, and it’s pretty darn nice. Have a look at a couple examples shot out of a hospital window on a nice summer day this past week:
Phone and BatteryPhone call quality is perfect, no complaints, Virgin Mobile doesn’t have the largest coverage area in the nation, even with their parent company’s coverage, but we’ve rarely gone to a place where service wasn’t still full bars – and it’s 3G for data incase you hadn’t guessed, again not the fastest, but still relatively nice. The battery has lasted approximately a day at a time from full charge to nothing with medium use, par for the course for all modern mid to top-tier handsets.
Carrier CoverageYou’re going to want to know all about what you’re getting into here for cash per month since Virgin Mobile has made this phone at least in a large bit all about the fact that you can purchase it off-contract. What does that mean for you when you’re purchasing data from Virgin Mobile by the month, month to month? Have a look at how you’ll be paying $55 for unlimited everything per month, but beware the data throttling starting in October – important only if you plan on using your data a LOT – or a medium amount, depending on the kind of person you plan on being.
Wrap-UpThis is an Android device for people who want to experience the very center of Android regularity, not the nicest in the world, nor the worst by any means, and with a no-contract deal, easy to abandon in favor of a different device should one want for a much more extravagant device. This handset is a really excellent path into Android for absolutely anyone, giving the user the full Android experience without breaking the bank or turning them away due to shotty cheap hardware. This is a device you’ll very possibly keep for several years before you upgrade, and more than likely you’ll still keep it around for some odd Android Wi-Fi-only activities after that – music, games, movies, and photos, anyone?
This device is extremely important for Virgin Mobile as it’s not just another trackphone that people will easily toss out when they don’t want to work with it anymore. Instead is a product that people will want to use and will want to continue to use paying for Virgin Mobile service as they do so. While devices like the LG Optimus V may linger, it’s this top-tier device at a mid-range price that’ll dominate Virgin Mobile’s sales ranks for Android in the near future.                              )
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| Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Android Tablet Hands-On [VIDEO] Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:52 PM PDT Today Lenovo announced a set of tablets, three to be precise, two of them featuring Android 3.1 Honeycomb. One of these three is the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Tablet, a device that we just happen to have a hands-on with in the post you’re about to read! This device is running a cool NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor, has a 10.1″ HD 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display, and will be rolling out with a user interface that’s unique to Lenovo. Will this tablet’s set of unique features be enough to set it aside from the rest of the 10-inch Android tablet pack?
This device will be released with Android 3.1 Honeycomb, that being NEARLY the most advanced version of Android on the market, the most if you don’t count the Android 3.2 Honeycomb SDK that just appeared a few days ago. You’ve got the option of getting up to 1GB DDR2 memory and up to 64GB SSD storage, 16 and 32GB options available as well, with connections along 3G (requiring a network provider of course,) Wi-fi 802.11 b/g/n, and bluetooth. You’ve got a mini HDMI port, docking port, and a nice little Micro SD card reader. Two cameras can be found on this tablet, that being a generous for a modern tablet 2-megapixel camera on the front and a regular 5-megapixel camera on the back.
One of the unique features you’ll be finding here is your ability to get the device in one of four attractive colors- the aluminum rear-casing comes in each of the colors you see in the four-up image you see in this post. I’d choose the dark grayish tone myself. There’s also a keyboard dock with charger, a factory-made sleeve with zipper storage, and the whole unit is what Lenovo notes is ultraportable. This tablet is 13.3mm thin at its thinnest point and weighs in at 750g. You’ve got the high-class standard 10-point multi-touch on the display, and special access to the Android Market through the Lenovo App Stop.
Lenovo Launcher is what basically amounts to a big widget that sits in the center of your homescreen that allows you to set four of your favorite shortcuts to apps, switching between new apps with a couple taps on the left side of the launcher. The right side of the launcher leads to your basic Android settings.
One of the more interesting and definitely welcome things Lenovo has done before the launch of this device is release a full list of apps that’ll be included on the device. Well done, Lenovo!
Finally, Lenovo is touting full support for the latest Flash content as well as “complete Digital Rights Management (DRM)” so you can legally download and store movies in every available format.* Lenovo also notes that this device instantly syncs your photos, music, and videos with a dedicated online storage space – this could be a rather big deal for those loyal to Lenovo – is that you?               BONUS!
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| Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Hands-On [VIDEO] Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:50 PM PDT What you’re about to take in is the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, an Android slate featuring Android 3.1 Honeycomb and the ability to work as both a multimedia and entertainment experience machine. This tablet, like the other Lenovo tablet we’re looking at here on Android Community today, features an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor and has a lovely IPS display. This devices’ display is also very similar to the other Lenovo tablet we’ve looked at today, that being 10.1-inches, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, and TFT LCD technology. This tablet also supports ThinkPad Tablet Pen input for all your pen on tablet action!
With this tablet you’ll have 1GB or memory, internal storage that’s one of the following: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB, and connectivity along 3G (on some models), Bluetooth 2.0, and Wifi (type unknown.) You’ve got a mini HDMI port, a USB 2.0 port, a micro USB port, and a dock port. Two cameras sit on this device, one 2-megapixel camera on the front and one 5-megapixel camera on the back. This device is 10.3-inches wide, 7.2-inches tall, and 14mm thick. The battery on this device is a 3250 mAh lithium-ion, meaning it’s going to last you to forever and back, and of course you’ve got an accelerometer, gyroscope, assisted GPS, and ambient light sensor.
You’ve got access to the Android Market, the same Lenovo Launch Zone we saw on the other Lenovo tablet from earlier today (that essentially being a large widget that has additional app shortcuts on it), and Lenovo SocialTouch – which is more of a collective of apps than it is a single process, allowing you to view events conducted through many different apps and widgets throughout your tablet including Google Calendar, Maps, and PopMail.
This tablet has a few accessories available for it as well including a ThinkPad Tablet Dock, allowing your tablet to sit upright while it charges and you continue to use it in any of several ways, it having microUSB, HDMI, and Stereo out plus Microphone in and USB 2.0. Then there’s a ThinkPad Keyboard Folio which protects and acts as a keyboard for when you’re in the mood. BONUS TIP: This device is covered with Gorilla Glass, making it impervious to gorillas! Also impervious to most damage including scratches and basic drops. Is all this enough to make you want this tablet when the environment is so clogged up at the moment? Are the features enough to set it aside?                  DOUBLE BONUS
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| T-Mobile Announces Tiered Unlimited Data, as Strange as that Sounds Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:49 PM PDT In a move that will certainly have those in the know scratching their head in a brand new wave of confusion over the reality of things, T-Mobile has today announced new “Value plans” in which it’s becoming “more affordable than ever to step up to data on America’s Largest 4G Network.” Starting on July 24th (less than a week from today,) new two-year agreements (for new and existing customers, if they want,) will include a variety of options with a range of price points for talk while unlimited text and unlimited data will be tiered to the tune of 2 GB, 5 GB, and 10 GB – with no overage charges. What’s going on here, you might ask? It’s what’s called throttling, and T-Mobile is turning it into something positive.
What T-Mobile is doing here is saying that you’ll always have “unlimited data,” but depending on the plan you choose, your data speeds will begin to get slower after a certain point. For example if you’re downloading something bigger than 2 GB (you never would, but bear with me here,) you’ll download it as fast as possible until you’ve gone through 2 GB of data, at which point your download will start to slow down significantly. Of course if you then bump your plan to 5 GB or 10 GB, you’ll go fast until that point again. At no point will you be charged an overage fee for going over your allotted “high-speed data” plan point.
WIth this new pricing, a new Value family plan with unlimited talk, unlimited texts, and unlimited data throttled after 2 GB will cost you just $49.99 per line. There will also be a a lineup of mobile broadband service options for both Value and Classic plans. Another example here is that customers may add one of these new overage-free Value plans to their voice service for $19.99 more per month with the 2 GB plan. Monthly4G and Pay As You Go plans will continue to be offered and we expect, though we’ve not yet heard back directly from T-Mobile, that plans currently in action will be allowed to be grandfathered in for the future. What do you think, community, seem like a good way to work throttling into the public conscious in a positive way?
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE Arriving at Verizon Stores Soon? Posted: 19 Jul 2011 04:56 PM PDT We have known about the Galaxy Tab 101. LTE for quite a while since it was announced way back at the first of June, and since then we haven’t heard much else regarding the 4G LTE tablet that is headed for Verizon. It did however go up for pre-order a few weeks ago. Verizon stores are now starting to receive posters and flyers showing the 4G LTE tablet so this may be a good sign.
When the pre-orders first started going out users were reporting a 4-6 week wait for shipping and that would put the release sometime early August, but new reports are suggesting we will be seeing them in-stores starting this week. My insider sources are saying Thursday. With stores starting to get posters and flyers like the image above the device can’t be far behind. I doubt they’d have posters that large up for more than a few days or a weeks tops without the device also showing up in the store. Hopefully the Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE will be launched soon, or at least tell us some updated news. We have also heard it will be using a new micro SIM card for the LTE capabilities. More and more signs are pointing to it being ready to get the green light. Lucky for you guys we are giving away a Galaxy Tab 10.1 this week (Wi-Fi Flavor) but hey a free tablet is a free tablet right? Make sure you check out and follow the simple rules at our Tabletpalooza Giveaway for your chance to win your very own Galaxy Tab 10.1 [via Droid-Life] )
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| HTC Flyer 3D Tablet Coming Soon? Take A Look At This Photo Posted: 19 Jul 2011 03:55 PM PDT We still haven’t heard much from HTC regarding tablets. Yes they released the HTC Flyer 7″ tablet a while back and it was a pretty nice device but sadly it wasn’t running Honeycomb. Now that Google released Android 3.2 the 7″ form factor is officially supported by Honeycomb. Could HTC be planning a 7″ Honeycomb tablet with 3D cameras to go along with it?
The above piece of hardware should look familiar to anyone that has seen or used the HTC Flyer or View 4G. See our review of the Flyer to see what we mean. It features the same soft touch plastic part on top just as pictured above and the rest of the body is aluminum. This photo could be an early look at what we might be calling the HTC Flyer 3D. The second photo you see below is the current HTC Flyer.
They look pretty similar don’t they? With the addition of a second camera and a few design changes it appears that this will in fact be a 3D Tablet. The speaker holes have changed as they were on the body of the Flyer, and they’ve moved the headphone jack to the other side if the photo is to be believed. At least this is a good quality photo and not a Mr. Blurrycam like we are all used to. HTC might finally be ready to make a push in the tablet market. They have the HTC Puccini that just cleared the FCC and will be the first 4G LTE tablet offered on AT&T and they’ll probably release it to other carriers as well as a W-Fi only version. They are making a huge push already with 3D in the HTC EVO 3D so the hardware, software and current design is already at least somewhat in place. All they need is to add that to a tablet and call it a day. For now this is just an early leak but we have been digging for more details and will report back as soon as we see or hear anything more. Some of you might be thinking wouldn’t the cameras be in landscape, but it depends on how you hold the tablet so for now we will just have to wait for more details. [via 175wan] )
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| Koi Fish Live Wallpaper, 3D Graphics and Rain Drops Too Posted: 19 Jul 2011 03:15 PM PDT I’m back again today with another awesome live wallpaper for you guys. I think I’ll just call them LWP from here on out. Today we bring you another well made and top quality wallpaper from one of if not my favorite LWP developers and that is KittehFace. This is the newest LWP from those guys and it sure is impressive. It is a Koi Fish wallpaper but as always they give you more options than most and let you customize everything.
These guys work really hard to make sure you have a smooth and seamless experience on both phones and Honeycomb tablets and this doesn’t disappoint one bit. They always provide tons of options for wallpapers and with Koi Live Wallpaper you can feed your fish, raise the population and even change fish size. I have a huge white fish that mans my pond. You can add raindrop effects that look amazing thanks to the OpenGL 2.0 3D rendering, as well as change the background from rocks to aquariums and even seaweed.
Slide your finger around on screen (with multi-touch support) and the water animation and reaction is incredible. It seriously has an extremely realistic look and feel as you swoosh around the water and add ripples. If you double tap your fish they will stop and spin around so you can keep the pretty ones on-screen longer. As always they have an amazing video showing the TONS of options and choices you have to customize this LWP just the way you like it. I’ll be bringing more great LWP’s as I see them so don’t forget to check back often. Yesterday we had the Thunderstorm LWP everyone seems to love, and before that we featured Pixel Rain for those that like a retro look. Check both of those out and then head to the Android Market and get Koi Live Wallpaper. As always feel free to buy the donate version to get all the features and help these devs continue to make great apps we can all enjoy. Click or scan the QR code below to head right to the market and download Koi Live Wallpaper.
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Passes Through FCC with AT&T Bands Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:06 PM PDT Sony Ericsson’s keyboard equipped Xperia Pro has just slipped through the FCC. The Gingerbread slider had been delayed, but looks to be around the corner. The Xperia Pro comes packing AT&T’s 3G bands, making it the top of the line for AT&T customers that need that keyboard.
Sony Ericsson’s Xperia line is an interesting mix of high and low end specs. The Xperia Pro continues this tradition with some mediocre hardware combined with the latest version of Android and fancy cameras. Just cause it doesn’t have top tier specs doesn’t mean the Xperia Pro won’t be an impressive machine. A 3.7″ 854×480 screen, a 1 GHz Snapdragon Processor and 320 MB of RAM are the less glorious of the goodies lying underneath. More impressively, the 4-row keyboard looks like it has plenty of room for stamping out texts and emails, and an 8 MP rear and 2 MP front camera will have you taking fancy pics, and video chatting when your thumbs need a rest. It’s not too bad, but not too great. Like I said earlier, this is the best there’ll be in the way of keyboard bearing Android for AT&T customers. So what do you think, are carriers neglecting keyboard fans, or now that touch screens are so common, are hardware keyboards just not that big a deal anymore?        [via Wireless Goodness] )
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| FriendCaster Hits Beta, A Facebook Honeycomb App Posted: 19 Jul 2011 01:44 PM PDT Oh yea it looks like Facebook finally has an official app for Honeycomb. While it isn’t made by those dudes over at Facebook or anything this is the first official app for Android Honeycomb that is dedicated to Facebook (Meh). While the app looks amazing and seems pretty great for being in early stages of its beta period, I’ve been pretty busy over on Google+ personally. FriendCaster is available as a beta app in the Market now.
You may be just like me and loving Google+ (here’s our 101) but if not and you are still hanging on for life at Facebook this is the perfect app for your Honeycomb tablet. FriendCaster is feature rich with tablet-specific layouts and it takes use of the full 10″ screen real estate. They even feature multiple account control and features easy switching among other things. + Beautiful tablet-specific layouts This is still a beta release and it currently does NOT have a widget for those wondering. They have mentioned that another update will be out in the “coming weeks” with even more improvements as well as a beautiful widget for all you widget lovers. It has almost every other feature though, something the official app is struggling to do. Note: Users currently using the pre-market beta that don’t want to lose the widget should wait for the next update.
[via Android Market] )
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| Motorola Dinara Could be Next Motorola Flagship Phone After Droid Bionic Posted: 19 Jul 2011 01:01 PM PDT Bored with the current batch of rumors? Samsung Galaxy S II and Droid Bionic not exciting anymore? The Motorola Dinara is here to tease, excite and make you drool. The device is rumored to be the successor to the Droid Bionic, with some pretty awesome specs worthy of such a title.
The Droid Bionic was announced back at CES, promised to be the first dual core phone on Verizon’s LTE network. Seven months later, the title may not belong to any other phone but the Bionic still isn’t here, having gone through a redesign. Surely something bigger and shinier can’t be that far off if we’ve known about the Bionic for 7 months. Enter the Dinara.
The Dinara, which as Droid Life points out, is a mountain, in line with several of Moto’s other code names (Olympus: Atrix, Everest: XOOM, etc). But you don’t care about code names you say? Then are you ready to get crushed beneath a tidal wave of nerdgasmic specs? I thought so.
Sounds awesome, but all we’ve got is a rumor, and as we’ve seen with the Nexus 3/Prime/ICS the internet loves to troll us with awesome specs. With that warning in mind, we return to our regularly scheduled geek out. There’s a possibility that the Dinara will make its way to all the caarriers, while its supposedly being tested on Verizon’s network now. I’d assume that as the successor to the Bionic it would have LTE on board, but it wasn’t confirmed. We’ll keep you posted, but we may have to be patient. As if we hadn’t been patient enough (looking at you Bionic ;P). [via Droid Life] )
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